Willougby man, 21, dies after jumping from bridge

Before 1 p.m. Friday, Willoughby police responded to calls for a man sitting on the railing of the Airborne Memorial Bridge on Route 20, said Willoughby Police Lt. Jim Schultz.

The man jumped from the bridge into the Chagrin River below, about a 40 foot drop. At the time of the incident, the river was only 1 or 2 feet deep.

Willoughby Fire Department responded to the scene at 1 p.m. and the victim was near the bank of the river, said Willoughby Fire Capt. Todd M. Ungar at the scene on Friday.

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The victim had serious injuries from the waist down, but they did not appear to be life threatening at that time, Ungar said.

"It took approximately 13 minutes for us to remove him from where he was found to get him into the rescue squad," he said. "At the time that we encountered him (the victim), he was conscious and talking with the medic crew."

The victim was taken to Lake Health West Medical Center in Willoughby and then flown by medical helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

On Sunday at 7:59 p.m., the victim was pronounced dead at MetroHealth. Schultz said he was told the victim passed away because of complications in surgery.

Police do not know exactly why the man jumped from the bridge, he added.

"We've received no other information that would lead us to believe that anyone else is involved," said Schultz.

A detective has been assigned to the case and remain in contact with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office for any updates, Schultz said.